


Star Trek The Next Generation: The Last of Her Kind

by MultifandomForte



Series: Star Trek: Vulcan Days [3]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Blood and Violence, Brutality, Captivity, F/M, Family Feels, Hope, Hurt/Comfort, Keep moving forward, Major Original Character(s), Vulcan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultifandomForte/pseuds/MultifandomForte
Summary: True to his promise, Q returns to the Enterprise on Vanessa’s birthday, telling her something of her future. Gaining this information, Vanessa makes the decision to return to her home planet for a few days, only to learn of its stark reality. Vanessa is forced to make the ultimate decision; one that will affect everyone on the Enterprise.
Relationships: Beverly Crusher/Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker/Deanna Troi
Series: Star Trek: Vulcan Days [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731385





	Star Trek The Next Generation: The Last of Her Kind

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: as this story goes on, there will be more violence and injuries. There also will be psychological trauma, potential trigger warning.
> 
> P.s. Please do not use my characters without asking and concrit is highly appreciated, but please keep it nice!

_ Picard _

Captain’s log, Stardate 2366.202. The Enterprise is scheduled to arrive in the Beta Quadrant at 1100 hours. Meanwhile, we are celebrating one of the senior officers' birthdays. Although Vanessa is still physically and cognitively fifteen years old, she was actually born in the year 2253, making her 113 today. However, Q has promised to return today, telling her something of her future, good or bad. Knowing Q, it probably will not be anything positive.

_ Vanessa _

I stood in front of my mirror, using it as a guide to curl my hair with my curling iron. There was a knock at the door.

“It’s open,” I answered, not looking away from the mirror. Picard walked in. I could see his reflection. “Hello, Captain.”

“Hello, Vanessa. I suppose you know why I’m here.”

“Yes, I do.” I released the piece of hair from the curling iron and started on another piece. “He hasn’t shown himself yet.”

“That’s good.”

“I suppose.”

“You don’t want him to come.” I shrugged.

“I don’t know. I don’t know how to feel about it, but he’s still coming, anyway. At a minute past noon, to be exact.”

“I’m not going to stay when he shows up, unless you want me to.” I shook my head. This was something I needed to face on my own. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Everything. I’m….honestly terrified. If he tells me something bad, then I know that I can’t do anything to fix it because it could screw up history. It feels almost like….like I’m about to get stuck in some sort of paradox.” I released my hair from the curling iron, setting the iron down and finally turning to face Picard.

“Q isn’t that bad, but he is trying to make you more nervous than you already are. You will get through this, Vanessa.”

“I hope.”

“Hope is what makes us strong.”

“Hope is what we fight for when all else is lost. My father told me my mother always said that.”

“I thought Vulcans didn’t believe in hope.”

“I think you’re forgetting, Captain,” I replied, smiling just a little. “We’re not completely Vulcan. Mostly, but not quite there yet.” Picard smiled in response.

“Oh yes, I remember.”

“No turning back, now.”

“Well, there is a chance you truly truly could. However, I don’t believe you should. Or that you will.” I nodded a little, knowing that he was right.

I waited in my quarters, my heart racing and my chest tight. I was terrified of what Q was going to tell me. I checked my pocket watch again.

“One minute left,” I whispered to myself. I looked up, to see my mirror slowly starting to spin. I managed a slight smile. “Hello, Q,” I said somewhat quietly. There was a flash of light and Q appeared in front of me.

“Hello, my Vulcan friend,” Q replied.

“For starters, ever since you “fixed” that mirror, it has never been able to adjust to the angle I need. I wonder if you had anything to do with that.” I managed a joking smile.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe means yes.”

“Okay, yes.”

“And that does not surprise me.” I glanced at the mirror, and then looked back to Q.

“Well, are you ready?”

“I suppose.” My hand moved to my pocket watch, an unconscious habit.

“Knowing it could be good or bad,” Q said.

“Trust me, Q, I know.” I wasn’t sure if I really meant to nearly cut Q off or not.

“Alright.” I took a deep breath.

“Okay,” I replied quietly.

“Alright. You will meet your father for the last time in the year 2408.” It took me a minute to fully take in Q’s sentence.

“Is that….when he’ll die?” I asked, managing to gain my voice.

“No.”

“Is that….when I’ll die?” I asked with even more cautiousness.

“No. I can’t tell you more.” I figured.

“I understand.” My gaze drifted away from Q, as the two sides of my mind were conspiring together. “Thank you, Q.”

“That’s all I’m here for.”

“I think I have a call to make,” I replied. I moved to get my communicator from off the shelf.

“Okay.” Q disappeared in a flash of light. I opened the communicator and adjusted it’s frequency.

“Dad, it’s Vanessa. Are you there? I mean, do you have time to talk?” The communicator was quiet for a few minutes, while my heart was pounding.

“Yes,” Dad finally answered, slightly catching me off guard.

“Oh, um, Dad, hi,” I stuttered.

“What is it, my child?”

“I just….I just really wanted to talk to you.”

“Is it Q?”

“He kept his promise about today and he just left a few minutes ago.” There was a short pause. “I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you what he told me and I just….really wanted to just hear you….” my voice was noticeably trailing off.

“It’s alright, my daughter. Whatever will happen is the will of the universe.”

“What if you don’t like what the universe wills?” I said more to myself than my father.

“It would be your opinion, but the universe deems it non-beneficial.”

“Dad, I think….I think I want to come for a few days to Vulcan. I mean, I know the government doesn’t really like me, but I just….I want to come home and see you for a few days.”

“My daughter, you can come home.”

“I can go check with the Captain to see if it’s okay.”

“Vanessa, he  _ will  _ let you.”

“I should still go talk to him.” I was about to cry, something I hated my father seeing. It was too….too  _ human. _

“Vanessa, my daughter, I will see you on Vulcan. I….” There was a long and tense pause. “I love you, my daughter.”

“I….I love you too, Dad,” I managed to gain my voice back.

“Goodbye, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Dad,” I said, almost choking on my words.

“Don’t cry, my daughter.”

“It’s just….the human in me.”

“I didn’t say to stop crying. Don’t cry over me.”

“You’re my dad, I have a reason to cry.”

“You are strong, my child.”

“I just….I want to come home.”

“Then come home. I’ll be waiting here for you.”

“I’ll go talk to the Captain now. I’ll contact you later to tell you how it goes.” Dad held up his hand in the shape of the Vulcan salute.

“Live long and prosper.” I did the same.

“Live long and prosper.” The screen shut off, leaving me in a room of darkness.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the ready room.

“Come.” I entered the room, somewhat cautiously. It still wasn’t exactly easy to talk to Picard, even though I had known him for almost three years now. He still had an intimidating vibe. He looked up when I entered. “Ah, Vanessa, how did it go with Q?”

“It went as well as it could’ve gone. Captain, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Yes?”

“I contacted my father and talked with him about going back to Vulcan for a few days.”

“Alright, I’ll note it in the log as shore leave.” That was a huge relief off my shoulders.

“Thank you, Captain. I very much appreciate this.” I moved to leave.

“Wait, Vanessa.” I stopped and turned.

“Whatever happened, you can always talk to the crew about it.” I paused, trying to think of a way to respond.

“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you, Captain.”

“Don’t. Just know that there are people here for you.

“Thank you, Captain.” I walked out, not giving him the chance to say anything else.

A little while later, I headed down to ten forward, just to get something small to eat. Maybe a hot chocolate, which was Deanna’s favorite. I took a seat at a table, just beginning to think over what Q had told me. I wanted to see my dad already. I wanted to spend more time with him, knowing that I didn’t have all the time in the world. I guess that kind of went for everyone. No one had as much time as they wanted. Even for species that lived a lot longer than normal, like Vulcans, there still was actually so little time. I had been around for a lot longer than I was supposed to, all due to radiation exposure. Maybe I was just a lucky one. I didn’t think so. The doors of ten forward opened and closed, causing me to look up. Riker was walking towards me.

“Happy birthday, kiddo,” he greeted, taking a seat across from me at the table and ruffling my hair. I smiled, trying to fix it.

“Thanks, Riker.”

“I seriously have to ask, how old actually are you?” I snickered, knowing that Starfleet had kept my actual age classified on my file.

“You’re going to have to guess.”

“Oh come on, tell me.”

“Take a guess.”

“Hmm….sixty?” I laughed.

“No. Keep guessing.”

“That’s all I got. Come on, tell me.” I smiled a little, deciding to lower my voice so that only he and I could hear it.

“I was born in the year 2253.” It took Riker a second to truly let what I told him sink in.

“Sorry, repeat that year.”

“2253.”

“That would make you….”

“113 today.”

“Damn, kiddo. That’s a hell of an accomplishment.” I smiled and shrugged. I didn’t think it was really that much of an accomplishment. After all, surviving wasn’t necessarily living, and I had been mostly just surviving for a long time. “Hey, I did kind of get you something for that accomplishment.”

“Oh, galaxy, Riker, no.”

“Oh yes, I did.” Riker stood up from the table, walking over to Guinan at the party. A part of me was filled with dread, mostly because Riker had been ruled as the king of parties and surprises. That was the last thing I wanted or needed. “Guinan, do you have the you-know-what?”

“Right here,” she replied with a soft smile. Guinan should’ve been a therapist instead of a bartender. She was always a great person to talk to. She pulled something out from behind the bar, but Riker moved so I couldn’t see it yet. After a few seconds, he turned around. He had a small cupcake on a plate, a lit candle in the middle of it.

“Someone tipped me off that you haven’t had a birthday cake since you were-”

“Thirteen,” I concluded. “I was thirteen.” I had a really dumb smile on my face. I knew that Deanna was the one who had tipped him off.

“Figured you could use another one.” Riker brought the cupcake over to the table. “Make a wish, kiddo.” I smiled and thought for a minute. I was really grateful to have this. Silently making my wish, I blew out the candle.


End file.
